Helping Asian EFL students acquire academic writing skills

Appendix 3: Sample Research Questions


Instructions: Look at the questions below. If a question seems appropriate for an academic research paper to be read by your peers, put a star in front of it. If it doesn't seem appropriate, reword it to make it more appropriate. Remember, research questions can be inappropriate for any of these reasons:
  • it is difficult to answer that question in ways that are considered "objective"
  • it is too broad
  • it is too narrow
  • is too easy or difficult for the intended audience

  1. Are aliens living on Earth?

  2. Do angels really exist?

  3. How do Fujitsu and NEC differ?

  4. How have crimes among teenagers in Japan changed since the 1960s?

  5. What influence have Beatnik poets had on Murakami Haruki?

  6. What do most students think of same-sex marriages?

  7. How does Ver. 3 of Ovid's EndNote differ from previous versions?

  8. Is the Japanese diet superior to other diets?
  1. How do humans and monkeys differ?

  2. How does English teaching in Japan and Taiwan differ?

  3. Why should the death penalty be banned?

  4. How much do most students at this school know about Africa?

  5. Who is the greatest Japanese film director?

  6. What do Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck have in common?

  7. What diets are popular in Asia today?

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